Many items in a building require routine inspection and maintenance. The most basic inspection is the visual inspection where elements are reviewed to ensure compliance with the code or installation instructions. Model codes such as NFPA 1, the Uniform Fire Code or the International Building Code have requirements for occupants to conduct visual inspections on fire separations and walls.
Dampers are forgotten due to [click to continue…]
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So the former building owner needed some additional electrical work. They utilized a “relocated power tap” and truly just made it a “power tap.”
The UL listed device is wired into an outlet and through the wall [click to continue…]
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A recent winter storm in the Midwest has brought a unique condition to the inspection business. An Inspector should always look at the exterior of the building and ensure doors can open easily. Although inspectors can not be at every business all the time. Education of occupants and owners is critical
Maybe this single picture does not give the item justice. Lets take a look after a [click to continue…]
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We are going to use today’s post as an open Mic Friday, where you get to help provide the content. My question for you is quite simple, can I put a porta-potty inside of a building?
Wikipedia defines a portable toilet as
“A portable toilet is a modern, portable, self-contained outhouse manufactured of molded plastic in a variety of colors and is often used as a temporary toilet for construction sites and large gatherings and events. Portable toilets are referred to colloquially or sold under such brands as port-a-john, job johnny, port-o-let, port-a-loo, sani-privy, port-a-san, porta-potty, tidy john, John To Go, Biff, toi-toi, J-Jon, shit-shack, and porta-kybo”
These are [click to continue…]
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This is one of our most challenging questions on “Does This Meet Code.” In fact we have run this on the site as a static picture many times, but never asked for your comments.
Looking at this picture, can the owner of a building paint a exit door to match its surroundings?
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Recently an inspector visited Athens and snapped some pictures of repairs happening to buildings older then dirt. Seriously, I think dirt was made from these rocks that are part of this building. So in today’s “Does this meet code” when you perform repairs, do you need to bring the building up to code?
I know this may seem a far fetch, but can you [click to continue…]
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A sprinkler system is a critical system to ensure fire and life safety in the built environment. Every now and then there are modifications made to the system that affect the performance of the system. Following NFPA 13 when installing and inspecting sprinkler systems is critical. In addition manufactures provide detailed requirements for devices based on the device listing.
This system was subject to many complaints by the occupants as a the colored fluid would leak from various fittings and sprinklers.
This is a picture of the riser [click to continue…]
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This is the second installment of “Does This Meet Code.” The first installment received many comments, many of which were emailed to me. I encourage to post your thoughts, sarcasm, and code sections in the area listed below the post by clicking on the section called “Comments.”
The question at hand this week looks at an electrical picture sent to us from the the East Coast. This picture was taken during an inspection of a small addition to an existing building. This junction box was utilized to extend several circuits into a the new space. The inspector was not an electrical inspector and questioned “Did you get your final electrical inspection?”
Now, I will never be able to claim to be an elctrical inspector, but where does this fall in the area of incorrect wiring? What if you can’t put the cover on the junction box?
Just a little note, that when you post your first comment on our site, it may take up to 24 hours to “authorize” your comment. This keeps spam off the site.
View previous editions of “Does this Meet Code“
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Inspector911 receives many photos from you in the field on odd conditions that you have come across. Believe it or not, there are times that contractors and owners have performed some work that doesn’t really meet code. So we thought of a new section for the site.
As you send us pictures, we will post and look for you all to provide some outstanding comments. Although some pictures may provide some comedy relieve for those of us in the trade, we can really use pictures like this to learn about trends in the field and learn from each other. So if you have a picture and a story to tell for this future section, send us an email at help@inspector911.com
Background:
This picture was sent to us from a Building Inspector [click to continue…]
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,ALBERT MIGNONE: Fire Inspectors and Fire Marshals are the face of the fire service. We meet the public daily usually where thay work but often at...
,Brian Dove: Your job is not to follow a set of rules in a book. Your job is to be a servant to the people that live and work and own businesses in...
,chopsnrox: Bear with me, but this is coming after a dazzling win by the NY Giants….I have to agree with both Michael and Jeff….perfect...
,Jeff Holbrook: For the most part you hit the nails on their heads. My biggest areas that have personally benefited me have been building...,Brian Dove: I think I picked her up in a bar in college but the memory is pretty vague…:+)
,Marcus Robinson: No,but It is truly unforgettable!!
